Improvement in railway-carriages



T, WEST.

. Car Truck.

- No. 47.143. Patented Apr. 4, 1865 n N N, n V

N @D w y a ce N 1 Witnesses= m l l Inventor:

TURE WEST, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

' IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,143, dated April 4, 1865.

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern: i which are bolted to the truck-frame, the hang- Be it known that I, TRUE 'VEs'r, of Roxers F F being suspended from the free exbury, in the county of Norfolk and State of tremities of such springs, and going through Massachusetts, have made a new and useful the cylindrical rubber springs H H, which are invention, having reference to Horse-Railway supported on projections c a, extended from Carriages; and do hereby declare the same the truck-frame. In this arrangement or to be fully described in the following speeitimode of supportingthe car-body on the truckcation and represented in the aecompanyin g frame not only has the body no supports exdrawings, of whichtending from it between the axle-boxes, but

Figure 1 denotes a side elevation of a carthe strain on the truck-frame is such as to riagc truck and platform as provided with bend or curve it upward, and thus, while the my improvement. carriage may be in use, there is not only a The nature of my invention consistsin the liability of its body sagging in the middle, combination and arrangement of four struts, but there is also a constant tendency to disfour pendulous rods or hangers, and two semiarrangement and wear of the parts composelliptical springs disposed on each side of the ing the truck-frame. truck-frame, with such frame and the axle- In carrying out my improvement, which is boxes thereof, and the platform of the carshown in Fig. l, the ear body or platform riage-body, the whole being substantially as Alias four struts, E E E E, projecting down hereinafter described. The purpose of thesaid from each side of it, and arranged with re' arrangement of springs, struts, and penduspect to the truck-frame B and the axlelous rods or hangers relatively to the truckboxes C C of the two wheels D D in manner frame, its axleboxes, and the platform or caras represented in such ligure. In this arbody being not only to support the platform rangement two of the struts are between the or body at points between the axle boxes, as axles-boxes, while the other two are outside well as outside or beyond them, in order that of them, the pair of struts to each axle-box it may not sag at its middle, but to accombeingsituated at equal distances from it. The plish the samein such manner as not only to axle-boxes fastened to the truck-frame B, or allow lateral sway or movements of the body making part of it, have two semi-elliptic irrespective of the springs, but so distribute springs, G G, resting on them and fastened the pressure of the springs on the axle-boxes to the truckframe by bolts. Each spring as at the same time to prevent any tendency rests at its middle on the axle-box, and proof such pressure to arch or curve the truckjects in opposite directions therefrom, the two frame. free ends of the spring having two hangers Fig. 2 of the drawings exhibits a perspeeor pendulcus rods, F F, suspended from tive representation of a mode now in use for them. These rods go down through the two applying a car-body to its truck-frame by adjacent struts E E, which rest on the lower means of two struts, two hangers,` and cerheads of such rods. Each of the rod-holes ot' tain india-rubber and steel-plate springs, such the springs and the struts should be some combination being my invention and termed what larger in diameter than the part of the Alfred Bridges mode of connecting a railway-ear body with its truck.77 It is here reA ferred to and introduced for the purpose of clearly exhibiting the differences and the advantages ot'my present invention with respect to it.

In the said Fig. 2, A denotes the car platform or body, while B is the truck or truckframe; (l (l, the axle-boxes; D D, the wheels; E E, the struts 5 F F, the pendulous hangers or rods; G G, what are termed half-steel springs, H H, india-rubber springs. In this case there are but two of the springs G G the ear-body, as well as the rods, may swing laterally or longitudinally, as circumstances may require, the lateral movement of the bo ily being necessary to obviate the disagreeable effect to passengers which would otherwise result while the car might be running on a curved track.

With my invention it will be perceived that the lateral swing of the car-body can take place, the body will be supported between the axleboxes as well as outside of them, and the pressure on the axle-boxes is such as to rod which may go through it, in order that.

counteract any tendency to twist or bend up or curve the truck, and thus strain the connections of its parts.

Iam aware that it is not new to place a semi-elliptic spring centrally over each axleliox and support its extremities in pockets Therefore I do not claim such, nor do I herein claim as my present invention the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Nor do I herein claim hanging the ear-body by va spring or yielding connection extending from the pedestal to the truck-frame, and acting in the manner and for the purpose and being arranged as set forth in Letters Patent No. 1863,1:0 Alfred Bridges.

' 38,726, granted June 2, 

